Typing Assistant 4.2

Typing Assistant is now 99% perfect — the makers are good listeners. Version 4.2 is now totally keyboard accessible, and everything else in my previous review still applies. Thank you programmers!

Rush jobs and assistive technology

When did “test” become a bad word among hardware and software companies? The reason I haven’t yet reviewed the Smart Nav pointer is that, while it’s great when it works, it doesn’t work consistently. NaturalPoint has known about a driver issue that causes the device to quit working after hibernation or standby (until you reconnect it, or else stick it in a USB hub which you shouldn’t have to use) for at least two versions. It’s fine if they’re having trouble figuring out the problem — well, not fine fine, but at least understandable — but I don’t like it that they blame the problem on people’s motherboards in their PCs. It is not the damn motherboard, otherwise many hundreds of people got ripped off on their computers. Don’t make people think they have to overhaul their PCs, when what they need to do is wait for you to actually fix the problem. It says on their website that one of their beta driver upgrades fixed a “standby issue,” but it must not have been that one, judging from the support forum. Either that, or the next driver release wiped out the fix somehow.

Then, even though I won’t be able to afford upgrading for some time, I was looking at the newly released Dragon 10. Any new software release is going to have bugs. In fact, Dragon 9.5 still has a few minor annoyances — emphasis, though, on minor. They can be worked around simply by saying something different, and they don’t affect major functions anyway. Judging by the reviews on Dragon 10, though, Nuance released it a bit too quickly. It turns out they had to post a fix on their knowledge base to remedy a problem that prevented the software from even being installed. I’m assuming it worked after that, but I’m wondering how many calls they had to get before they realized it was an issue, not to mention a critical one.

I realize to some extent the programs are always a work in progress. In fact, as I mentioned in my previous post, I e-mailed the makers of Typing Assistant about considering keyboard access to the dialog boxes in future releases, and they sent me a very gracious reply, acknowledging that they were still exploring possibilities and they would consider it. So it’s not that everything has to be perfect, and the inevitable glitches can usually be lived with, but I do think there’s a line between the merely unfinished and the unstable. I think some companies get a little complacent when they have a captive market, which many assistive technology vendors do. Not all of them, of course, and I’m not even sure it’s intentional when it occurs, but it still sucks.

Typing Assistant review: excellent multipurpose program

I gladly let my trial of TypeBooster run out because it was too glitchy for me. When I went looking for a comparable program, I found Typing Assistant 4.1, tried it out, and snapped it right up. If you want to buy it, it’s slightly more expensive than TypeBooster at $35, but definitely worth it. Even though the program’s name sounds generic, it’s actually extremely functional.

First of all, this program really is universal — it’s not just limited to the newer programs. Even I, still clinging to Microsoft Word XP, can use it. Big plus right there. Second, the programmers have actually fixed that seemingly omnipresent bug that all word prediction programs seem to have — for a change, this program does not suddenly quit working in the middle of a word. Third, it works with both physical and virtual keystrokes.

The gist of Typing Assistant is similar to most others — using either the number or function keys (or pointing device) to select word suggestions from a list. You can adjust the letter threshold. You have the option of telling the program to insert a character after words are predicted, such as a space, period, or comma. Since this character will appear after every word you select, the space seems to be the most logical option if you decide to do this. Most importantly, Typing Assistant immediately begins ordering your selections by frequency of use.

Where Typing Assistant differs from other programs is first of all its treatment of the shorthand feature, which I like very much. When you enter your shorthand and its corresponding replacement text, it becomes part of the prediction, meaning that you select from the same numbered list. Helpfully, when you begin to type your shorthand, the suggestion list actually gives you the text it stands for, so you don’t have to keep remembering your replacements. Whatever settings you applied to the prediction will also apply to the shorthand. For example, if you have told Typing Assistant to insert a space after predictions, your shorthand result will also have a space after it. I like this feature because it was occasionally fatiguing for me to have to keep using the spacebar in order to expand my shorthand in programs like Writer. (I like to reduce movement as much as possible.) Additionally, you can use both capital and lowercase letters for your shorthand, and give them separate values. For example, in my list “X” will give me the suggestion “whether,” and “x” will suggest “if.” You have more options for your shorthand here, because it will not expand unless you tell it to. So, if you have used the letters “me” to stand for something, you don’t have to sacrifice using the pronoun “me” — just ignore the suggestion list and keep typing.

Another feature I find myself using is the clipboard extender. Normally when you copy something, you can only do one thing at a time because the next item wipes out the previous. Typing Assistant takes whatever you’ve copied and puts it into its own “clipboard prediction dictionary,” which can also appear in the general suggestion list if you want it to. If you just want to see the clipboard, just press Alt-Right arrow. This way, if you’re putting multiple links in your blog post for example, it’s a lot faster. Another feature, which I have not used much, is the Auto Launcher, which will create hotkeys to launch your favorite programs.

Although Typing Assistant has hotkeys to bring up its control panel and its separate dictionaries, its only drawback at the moment is that its menus are not accessible by keyboard. To make choices like OK, Add, or Delete, you have to actually move the cursor to the button and click it, either with Mouse Keys or pointing device. However, it turns out Typing Assistant has excellent technical support. I wrote to the programmers and suggested adding the ability to use the Tab and Enter keys to navigate, and they answered that they hadn’t thought of that while making 4.1, but would consider it for the next version. They even offered to tell me when they added it. How cool is that?

Going low-tech: the “Stress Owl”

stress owl

So, there’s this bird on my keyboard table. I don’t know why, but he looks like he’s sulking — a sort of fuzzy two-year-old who’d stomp his talons if he could. While he’s busy pouting, I’ll introduce you. His name is Ulk, and he is also the inspiration for the stupid “Library Owl” story. Ulk is short for ulchabhán, which is Irish for “owl,” the word itself a kenning — “white beard.” Ulk doesn’t have any beard, and besides he’s yellow — short and squat and squishy. But I do like kennings, and after all he is an owl. Stuffed, besides, which means I can call him any silly thing I want.

What’s he doing on my keyboard table (or an AT blog, come to think of it)? Grip strengthening, primarily. Somehow I like squashing something better if it makes me laugh in the process. Beats Silly Putty. (I have to say, I never thought that would be a medical implement. But they have Wii therapy now too, so I’m not that surprised.) Definitely beats your average stress ball, for which I don’t have the coordination. So… meet the Stress Owl.

Other useful low-tech devices for getting around manual tasks, not necessarily in order:

1. Your own teeth. Very versatile.
2. Other humans.
3. Typing sticks. Not necessarily the same as mouthsticks, though they can be. Fatiguing and occasionally crampy for extended typing, but useful in stints or with word completion/shorthand.
4. Book holders.
5. Utensil cuffs.
6. Dressing sticks, zipper pulls and buttonhooks.
7. Bottle and jar openers.
8. Skechers lace-less sneakers.
9. Circulation gloves, with or without the fingertips.
10. Your own Stress Owl (or bunny, or porcupine, or Frankenstein).

I’ll modify as I think of more. Also, www.abledata.com has an extensive database.